Reproducer for talking-machines.



A. Ar HUSEBY.

REPRODUCER FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1917.

1,23,942. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

INVENTOR.

fiabertfifiwaz A TTORNEYS,

WITNESS ALBERT A. HUSEIBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BEPBODUCER FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 114, ram.

Application filed April 6, 1917. Serial No. 160,149.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. HUsEBY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reproducers for Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvements in reproducers for talking machines, and has reference more particularly to that type of reproducers commonly known as universal reproducers or sound boxes, which are adapted to play records of both of the well known vertically and laterally undulating types. Some sound boxes of this character employ two separate needles or styluses for playing the two kinds of records, respectively, while others employ but a single needle or stylus the position of which, however, is changed when changing from one record to the other. Lately attempts have been made to provide a sound box employing but a single needle and wherein the needle undergoes no relative change in position when the sound box itself is turned through an angle of ninety degrees in adapting it to play the other type of record. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved sound box of the last mentioned type, wherein the sound box is pivoted to the tone arm on an axis that coincides with the axis of the stylus socket, so that the stylus undergoes no change of either angular or relative position when the sound box itself is turned from one playing position to the other.

My invention, its mode of operation, and the advantages resulting therefrom will all be readily understood by those familiar with this art from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated a practical and approved embodiment of the invention, and in which- Figure l is a front elevation showing a sound box in position suitable for playing a record of the laterally undulating type;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the sound box turned through an angle of 90 and in position for playing a record of the vertically undulating type;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the sound box shown in Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of arrow 3;

Fig. 4 is a similar view, partly in horizontal section, of the sound box shown in Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow 4:; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the sound box detached from the tone arm extension; Fig. 6 is an axial section on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the body of the sound box which is. equipped with the usual diaphragm 11 and stylus lever 12 pivoted between lugs 13 and formed with a stylus socket 14 at its lower end adapted to contain the stylus 15. 16 designates the free end portion of the usual tone arm, and 17 designates a quadrant-shaped extension of the tone .arm, the shank 17' of said extension being preferably flexibly connected by a rubber coupling member 18 to the end of the tone arm proper, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The quadrant-shaped extension 17 is open on its lower side, and the outer side thereof is formed adjacent to its lower edge with a downwardly and in. .4

wardly turned flange 19 that provides a guide-groove 20. This guide-groove is engaged by the outer edge of a substantially semi-circular segment plate 21 that is rigid with the top of the sound box, said segment plate forming a closure for the lower side of the tone arm extension 17 which latter it may here be noted is closed at its outer end as shown at 17 a in Fig. 4:. On the inner side of the extension 17 is a pivot lug 22, and on the upper end of the sound box is a forwardly projecting pivot lug 23 underlying the lug 22. These lugs are pivotally connected by a screw or pin 24, the axis of which is coincident with the axis of the stylus socket 14, as a consequence of which, when the sound box is shifted from the position shown in Fig.- 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, or vice versa, the absolute position of the stylus 15 remains the same.

On the rear of the sound box is formed a tubular sound conductor 25 that afiords a sound passage 26,'the lower end of which communicates centrally with the space behind the diaphragm, while its upper end opens through the segment plate 21 and communicates freely with the tone arm extension 17 in all positions of the sound box, as will be evident by reference to Figs. 3 and 4:-

From the foregoing it will be apparent that all that is necessary to adapt the sound box for the playing of a difi'erent record is to shift it between the positions shown in Figs. 1 and-2, it being unnecessary to elther supply a diiferent needle (unless the needle is worn out) or to shift the position of the needle relatively to the record or the sound box. The segment plate 21 not only forms a closure for the lower side of the quadrant extension 17 but, through engagement with the guide-groove of the latter, it relleves strain on the pivot pin 24 and insures the accurate axial alinement of said pivot pin with the stylus socket and stylus. The friction of the segment plate in its guide-groove will ordinarily sufiice to maintain thesound box in either of the two playing pos1t1ons; but if desired, this may be insured by means 7 of a set screw 27 passing through the flange 19 and engaging the edge of the segment plate 21.

It is believed that the novel structural features, and'principle of operation of my im proved reproducer will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying illustration; and hence, without limiting myself to the precise details of structure and relative arrangement shown and described,

I claim:

1. In a universal reproducer for talking machines, the combination with a tone arm provided with a quadrant-shaped extension open on its lower side and closed at its free end, of a sound-box pivotally connected to said tone arm extension externally of the sound passage of the latter and on an axis coinciding with the axis of the stylus socket, said sound-box having at its upper end a substantially semicircular segment plate concentric with the pivot axis of the soundbox slidably engaging and covering the open lower side of said extension and also formed with a sound passage extending through saidmachines, the combination with a tone arm provided with a quadrant-shaped extension open on its lower side and closed at its free end, and further formed with an internal guide groove adjacent to the lower edge of one side thereof, of a sound-box pivotally connected to said tone-arm extension externally of the sound passage of the latter and on an axis coinciding with the axis of the stylus socket, said sound-box having at its upper end a substantially semi-circular segment plate concentric with the pivot axis of the sound-box slidably engaging and covering the open lower side of said extension and with one of its edges engaging the guidegroove of the latter, and said sound-box being further provided with a sound passage extending through said plate and communieating with said tone-arm extension in all positions of the sound-box.

4:. In a universal reproducer for talking machines, the combination with a tone-arm provided with a quadrant-shaped extension open on its lower side and closed at its free end, said extension having a lug projecting from one side thereof, and formed with an internal groove adjacent to the lower edge of the other side thereof, of a sound-box having at its upper end a lug underlying the lug of said tone arm extension, a pivot screw connectin said lugs on an axis coincident with the axis of the stylus socket of the soundbox, a substantially semi-circular segment plate concentric with said pivot screw slidably engaging and covering the open lower side of said extension and with one of its ALBERT A. HUSEBY. 

